The Devil Is Not So Black As He Is Painted
by DesireeStorms
Summary: "A girl and a Hunter just saved our asses. This is like the start of the ultimate bad joke." Beggars can't be choosers, especially during the zombie apocalypse.A girl forms an unlikely alliance with a Hunter & the two run into the survivors during a horde attack. Nick is hardly ready to accept a Hunter into the group but soon realizes it could work to their benefit SUMMARY INSIDE
1. Bear Trap

**Disclaimer: Left 4 Dead and its characters belong to Valve.**

**"A girl and a Hunter just saved our asses," Nick muttered. "This is like the start of the ultimate bad joke." Beggars can't be choosers, especially during the zombie apocalypse. After stumbling across a wounded Hunter, Nevaeh forms a very unlikely alliance with the infected, but with no small amounts of hesitation. The two run into the survivors during a horde attack, and although they are startled by the Hunter they offer for Nevaeh to join their group. Nick is hardly ready to accept a Hunter into the team, but he soon realizes it could work to their benefit. Nevaeh is hardly looking for a relationship, but she's left someone else in the group completely smitten.**

**Chapter #1: Bear Trap**

Nevaeh's legs pumped steadily beneath her, her breathing the only sound aside from the rustling of the trees and crunching of leaves and twigs beneath her feet as she ran. Beads of sweat trickles down her neck and between the valley of her breasts. The air was sticky and humid, but she did not stop running, having just narrowly escaped the wrath of a Tank. The second it was dead, she had taken off at a full sprint, fearing what the Tank's roars and thunderous bellows had managed to attract. That had been over a mile back from where she was now, but she did not stop just yet. At the very least, she wanted a couple good miles between her and the disturbance before allowing herself rest. Along the way, she'd run into a few stragglers, but she was able to take them out silently using the twin katanas that were crossed behind her back.

At long last, she came across a thicket that could serve as a temporary hiding place until she caught her breath. Ducking beneath the branches, she dropped to her knees and attempted to catch her breath, sweat trickling down her skin. The air was thick and muggy, lacking a breeze that she so desperately desired to cool her overheated body. If it hadn't been for that hulking gorilla, she wouldn't even be in this situation.

Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the tree she was sitting behind and allowed her muscles to relax only momentarily, as a weary sigh escaped through her lips. She felt like she'd been in this forest for years, when in reality it had only been a few days. The trees never seemed to end, stretching far and wide, and when she looked up their thinning canopies seemed to stretch for miles. And the heat. God, the heat. Thankfully, the day was nearing a close, which meant the temperature would be going down soon, but she needed to find shelter. In the forest, it was nearly impossible to see at night with the trees blocking out most of the moonlight, so she would be in no shape to fight should a horde or, God forbid, another Tank decided to cross her path. Zombie fucking apocalypse. Shit like this was only supposed to happen in movies. Just months ago, she had been getting ready to graduate with her doctorate, and all of a sudden the streets had erupted into a chaotic tumult that left her hometown in ruins along with most of the people. If there were any survivors, she had no idea how many or where they were.

It had been an episode from the Walking Dead since then. She spent all her time either running from infected or fighting them off, and when she finally managed to find a safe house or some sort of alternative shelter, she had to focus on healing any wound she might have and resting up for her departure. Safe houses served as a brief haven from the outside world, but they were hardly permanent. All she could do was hope that she would one day come across other people or some sort of base camp where survivors had bunkered up, like in the movies. She hardly fancied the idea of continuing on like this as a permanent state of affairs.

Suddenly, she froze when she heard what sounded like a whimper of sorts. Sitting up in full alert, she poked her head out from the thicket and glanced around cautiously. There were no infected in sight. What had caused that sound? It almost sounded like someone was in pain.

"Hello?" she called out in a whisper. When she received no answer, she came to the conclusion that she could very well be dealing with a Witch. She prayed not, and that it was just a wounded animal. Witches could be worse than Tanks if not taken out properly and with the right weapon. She'd learned that one the hard way.

With the caution of a doe entering an open field, Nevaeh crept out from the concealing branches of the thicket, crawling in a fashion that was much like a Hunter. She had picked up these mannerisms from the hunting trips her father had taken her on when she was a teenager. She never liked hunting much. It was cruel in her opinion, but he had always used all of the animal. It wasn't like he had just chopped off the head, mounted it on his wall, and dumped the rest. Anyways, the stalking methods he had taught her had proved to help her a lot in her current situation, especially when dealing with the more cunning infected such as the Hunters. She had studied each type of infected's behavior carefully, and she knew how each of them moved, thought, and attacked.

Cautiously, she crept towards the sound of rustling leaves, having located where the sound was coming from. It was coming from behind a small cluster of boulders, and as she drew near the rustling stopped, and she was presented with a low, guttural growl. She froze. Without thinking twice, she instantly dove behind the boulders, pulling her desert eagle from her pocket and cocking it. If this was a Hunter she was dealing with, she wasn't taking her chances. However, when the attack didn't come, she found herself frowning a slightest bit in confusion. It should have been on her by now.

She closed her eyes. _This is a __**bad**__ idea._ Turning, she reached up and warily began to climb up the boulders, virtually silent as she made her way to the top. When she tentatively peered downwards at the other side, her eyebrows shot high on her forehead at what she saw. It was a Hunter, all right, but it was clearly injured. Good. This would be an easy kill. Standing, she jumped down from the rocks, landing in front of the wounded infected. It gave a violent jump and high-pitched yelp that was clearly startled at her sudden appearance.

Reaching back, she instantly whipped out her swords, wielding them in stance as she crept closer to the injured infected. Its wrists were tied with a thick cord, much to her curiosity. This was obviously another survivor's doing. As she drew near, she realized its leg was caught in a bear trap, and, judging by the torn pant leg and bleeding gashes that raked up its leg, she guessed it had put up one hell of a fight to free itself, but had been unable to due to its binds. The growls grew increasingly louder as she closed in, warning her evidently to keep her distance. It was like circling an injured animal. It was unbelievable to her, to think that this creature had once been a regular human guy. Now it looked more like a demon that had ascended straight from hell's pit, fingers tipped with razor sharp claws that dug at the earth in its desperate attempt to free itself. If the hoodie had been fur, she was sure its hackles would have been bristled.

She dared to take a step closer, but she was rewarded with a fierce snarl, and its free leg made a vicious swipe at her, teeth exposed in a sneer. She stepped back, when a piercing shriek nearly caused her to jump straight out of her skin. Once the Hunter's screeches died down, she stood still as a statue, tensed and preparing herself for the worst. Seconds turned to minutes, every sense bright and alert for oncoming infected. To her great surprise and relief, the noise had only attracted a few straggling zombies that came stumbling onto the scene, which she was able to quietly take out with her katanas. The less gunfire the better. Once the last one had dropped, she turned her attentions back to the Hunter, who still lay on the ground, leg still snagged in the cruel-looking device. The screech had been of pain. When it had tried attacking her, it had jostled the metal teeth in its flesh, which she imagined had been extremely painful.

_Enough of this, Vaeh. Kill the damn thing and put it out of its misery before you have a horde on your hands._

Adjusting her grip on her katanas, she looked down at the bloodied blades before back up towards the Hunter, who was staring at the weapons intently. In truth, she felt a little bad for the beast. It was a harsh way to go out, impaled in the head like a pig in a slaughterhouse, but what was she supposed to do? There was nothing she could do. Its fate had been sealed the moment its leg had gotten caught in the trap. Hell, it had been sealed the moment the virus had entered its bloodstream.

He coiled defensively when she took a step closer, like a cobra preparing to strike, and he emitted a guttural growl, warning her to back off. Why couldn't she just leave him alone?! He wasn't bothering her. Hell, he couldn't even swipe at her without causing himself tremendous pain. The teeth of the bear trap dug deep into his leg, sending ripples of pain throbbing through his entire body with even the slightest of movement. He whimpered, scared despite the menacing growls he emitted at the woman before him. He wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what she was planning to do with those swords, and it terrified him. It wasn't until she shifted her grip on the handles that his intimidating guise began to falter, betraying his fear.

Nevaeh watched as the Hunter tried moving away from her at the sight of her raising one of the swords. Although half its face was covered by the hood, she could tell it was frightened. Actually, it looked scared out of its mind. Odd. She had never witnessed an infected display any sort of emotion aside from an animalistic rage. She felt guilt twist in her gut, but she knew she had to go through with it. If anything, it was a mercy kill. Re-sheathing one of her swords, she gripped the one with both hands and lifted it for the downward strike, and she was responded to with a startled shriek as the Hunter tried moving away from her, but to no avail.

_No!_ He screamed mentally. _I don't want to die! __**I don't want to die!**__ LEAVE ME ALONE!_

Just as she was going to make the downward swing and plummet the blade into the infected's skull, she suddenly stopped short when she heard what sounded like a pleading whimper escape its throat. It shrunk away from her, whimpering quietly, and she was shocked to see it had begun to tremble. If it hadn't looked pitiful before, it certainly did now. Sighing heavily, she lowered her weapon and stared down at the Hunter, at a loss. She was not used to seeing Hunters afraid. It was a strange sight to behold. It was almost like it understood her…. _This is ridiculous. You've officially gone insane…._

"…Look at me."

It did, and she was wildly unprepared. Blinking, she stared at the Hunter openly.

"Can you understand me…?"

In a nature too hesitant for infected nature, it lifted itself up the slighted bit with its arms, and made a feeble motion she guessed was a nod.

"Jax…" it croaked. The sound was grating and raspy, but it was definitely a word. A name perhaps?

"Jax…? Is… is that your name?"

Another feeble nod.

"Incredible." Her eyes were wide. "You can understand English." Removing one of her hands from the katana, she motioned to herself. "Nevaeh. Can you say that?"

A frown pulled at the Hunter's face, and it—he—made a small sound in return, but made no effort to repeat her name. It seemed that one syllable was all he was capable of. Still, the fact he could _understand_ her was a step beyond incredible.

"I won't kill you if that's what you want…"

She watched his body visibly relax.

"If you want it off, you're going to have to let me touch you," she said finally. _What are you thinking? You're going to free that thing? It'll tear you to shreds the second it's loose! _She stubbornly shut the voice out. Inhaling a calming breath through her nose, she took a slow step forwards once more.

He instantly tensed up again, and he released another low growl, but it wasn't nearly as menacing as his prior threats. The vocalization was one of nervousness. Like one would do to a startled horse, she held her hands up as a sign of peace.

"It's okay. Easy." She moved a little closer to the tense Hunter, listening as he continued to growl low in his throat. "Come now, stop that. If I wanted you dead, I would have killed you already."

The growling died down a bit, but she could still hear him. Cautiously, she crouched down near his legs and examined the bear trap with close scrutiny. The teeth hadn't cut into any vital arteries. He was lucky.

"How did you get yourself in this situation, anyway?" She looked at him, but she was met with blank stare. She sighed. "Right…" Gingerly, she touched his leg, and he instantly he flinched away. "Do you want it off or not?"

He emitted a pitiful whimper.

"I'll try to be gentle. Are you going to let me do this or not?" He looked up at her in fear, but when he made no attempt to stop her she took it as her go to continue. "You need to be quiet. Understand?"

He nodded meekly, and she released a breath to compose herself. _Here goes nothing._

She applying pressure on the flat spring of the bear trap, and she was rewarded with a cry of pain from her patient when she jostled the metal teeth. When she looked up, she saw he had buried his face in his arm to stifle himself, entire body tensed so tight he was actually shaking a little. The trap's grip on his leg was tight, but eventually it fell open as she applied all her bodyweight on the springs. He instantly retracted his leg, and she kicked the nasty thing away with a look of disgust before returning her attention to his leg. It was bleeding steadily and needed to be bound. Her eyes shifted back up towards his face, half concealed by the hood, but she could tell he was staring straight at her.

"May I see?" she asked, as calmly as she could.

He looked nothing short of distrusting, but when she made a move to reach for his leg, he didn't lash out or growl at her. Shrugging off her backpack, she unzipped the largest compartment and pulled out a health kit and hunting knife. He tensed visibly at the sight of the blade, but she held her hands up again in a calming gesture, and he hesitantly relaxed. Using the sharp edge of the blade, she lifted the end of the duct tape that was wrapped around the bottom half of his leg, and she began to unwind the tape. Once it was off, she was able to roll his pant leg up and expose his wounds. She made quick work of cleaning and binding his leg, using the knife afterwards to cut the gauze before taping it down. He had been whimpering and whining throughout the whole process, but there were no more high-pitched screeches. Once that was finished, she pulled his pant leg back down. Now all that remained was his hands, which were still bound by the cord.

He looked up at her as she came to kneel by his head. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the lock pick she always kept on her and grabbed his wrists. After some brief tinkering, the lock fell loose, and she unwrapped the cord from his wrists before taking a quick step back. He got up almost instantly, the movement sharp and quicker than she expected. He lifted his leg, as if to test out her handiwork, and his hand disappeared into his pocket. She quirked an eyebrow when he removed a roll of duct tape from the hoodie, watching as he replaced the tape she had removed. Taking his distraction as an opportunity, she turned and began walking away. Sure, he wasn't attacking her now, but that could change at any moment.

A rustling caused her to stop in her steps, before she whipped around sharply and aimed the desert eagle she kept at her hip. The Hunter had begun to follow her, on all fours, but he had froze the second he saw the gun aimed between his eyes.

"Shoo." She waved the gun at him in a gesture for him to turn away. "Go on, now."

He didn't move, tilting his head at her, much like a confused dog.

"Get!" She kicked some earth at him, and he hastily backed up, frowning deeply at her. "You're free, now go. Don't think I won't kill you if you get too close."

His frown deepened, and she turned away once more, ignoring the little voice telling her she was being harsh. Seemingly intelligent or not, he was still an infected, and not just any infected. He was a Hunter. That was not something she wanted following her around at a close distance.

She paused suddenly. Again, she heard the crunching of twigs behind her, and, slowly, she looked over her shoulder.

He stopped once he saw she was looking at him and backed up a couple steps when she raised her gun once more. It was obvious she didn't want him following her, but he wanted to. She interested him, and so far she was the only person who hadn't tried killing him the second she saw him, unlike the men who had tied him down. They had seen him snagged in that bear trap, and they had laughed. They had laughed at him, taunting him with their weapons, not backing down no matter how much he screeched at them. One of them had managed to snag his wrists while the other shoved his head into the ground painfully. He shivered at the memory. This woman was different. She had clearly known releasing him was a bad idea, but she had _seen_ him. She'd been able to see past the animalistic exterior and recognize he was afraid. Rather than killing him, she had taken a huge risk and freed him. Why? He'd probably never know. Despite the fact she'd saved him, she obviously didn't want him around. It had been a merciful favor. She had been able to tell he was different. That didn't mean she trusted or wanted him.

He was wildly unprepared when she suddenly fired at the ground by his feet. The deafening bang caused him to leap into the air in fright. He had sprung off so fast in the opposite direction that he hadn't even fully processed what was happening.

Nevaeh watched the Hunter tear off like a bottle rocket, feeling a bit guilty in spite of the fact she should have just killed him to begin with. Turning, she quickly took off in the opposite direction before he decided to round back and take vengeance. There was a safe house nearby. If she could make it there before nightfall, it would be all the better. Yet in the very back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder if she had been right about chasing the Hunter off. He was the first infected she had run into that had expressed a single trace of intelligence, and she had sent him away. Oh well. It was too late to turn back now. There was no telling what that gunshot had attracted.


	2. Batman and Joker

**Disclaimer: Left 4 Dead and its characters belong to Valve.**

**Chapter #2: Batman and Joker**

She was sure there were a list of things that could have made her situation worse, but her racing mind couldn't come up with any at the moment.

Nevaeh tried to shake the rattling in her skull from the hard landing as she held the Hunter back by the scruff of its hoodie, just barely keeping those teeth at bay as the claws flailed in their rabid attempt to tear into her. She gritted her teeth as the talons managed to catch her in the shoulder, but she didn't relent her grip on its collar. Lifting her hand, which she had managed to wriggle from beneath its grip, she sent a blow to the infected's jaw. Its head snapped to the side with a snarl, claws momentarily ceasing in their frantic slashing, and she took the opportunity to get her feet up underneath it and push upwards. The clawed arms flailed with the sudden loss of gravity, and she tossed it to the side with a shout. It rolled, but soon regained its footing, and before she was able to so much as get onto all fours it was lunging at her again.

And it would have gotten her if it hadn't been for the dark blur that suddenly flew in from her left, an enraged screech echoing through the air, and tackled the Hunter midair.

She jumped as they landed in a tangled mess of teeth and claws. It was another Hunter, and upon closer inspection she realized it was not just any Hunter. At first, she refused to believe it, but it was him. It was the one she had spared from the bear trap. They fought viciously, faces contorted in irate snarls. It was a chaotic mess of claws, teeth, biting, kicking, and scratching. It was like watching a pair of mountain lions fighting over a scrap of meat... and she was the meat.

Standing quickly, she ignored the pain in her shoulder and took off in the opposite direction, deciding to take this opportunity as her chance at escape. The safe house was just another half a mile according to her map. The Hunters' screeches had attracted some more unwanted company, but so far it was just common infected, which she cut through easily with her katanas. At long last, she reached the safe house and scrambled for a moment with the door before running inside and slamming the door shut behind her. She collapsed against the wall, sliding slowly to the floor; chest heaving as she tried to regain her breath. Off in the far distance, she could still hear the Hunters' shrieks, although faint, but eventually they ceased. She wondered which one had came out the winner, or if they were both dead. That Hunter had been following her the entire time, and she hadn't even noticed. The thought sent chills down her back.

Lifting her hands, she pressed her fingers to her temples, massaging firm circles to ease the migraine setting in.

By the time she had reached the safe house, the sun had already been close to setting. Now she sat alone in the dark safe house, having turned off the light to avoid attracting more infected. In the distance, she could hear a few infected milling around, but she paid them no mind, even when she heard one creeping along the side of the house. Unless it was a Tank, she did not care. A light scratching at the door caused her to open her eyes, but they closed again soon after.

_Whimper_.

Her eyes opened. She knew that sound. Sitting up a little straighter, she looked towards the door, and there was a small thud. Slowly, her eyebrows drew together. No. It couldn't be. Standing quietly, she silently approached the door, cautious of a barred window as she peered downwards.

She froze. It was the Hunter. She recognized him by the torn pant leg. He was curled up at the bottom of the door, hoodie torn from the fight. There were no serious wounds that she could see, but there was no doubt in her mind he was sporting a few good cuts and bite marks.

Briefly, she thought back on all that had happened. He had saved her. There was no denying that. She had been an easy target, and he had not gone after her. He had been following her this whole time, but he hadn't ventured close enough for her to see or hear, knowing she probably would have chased him off again. The second he saw she was in serious danger, he had leapt into action.

She was, to say the very least, astonished. He had been protecting her, and now he was standing guard outside her door. It didn't make a lick of sense to her. He was a Hunter. He shouldn't have known anything outside the proper method of tearing someone to shreds. Speechless, she lifted her hand, hesitating only for a moment before tapping lightly on her side of the door.

"Hey," she called quietly.

His head lifted up towards her.

"Have you been following me?" she whispered.

He stared blankly for a long moment, before looking down again. That was a yes. She contemplated her decision for a long moment, already knowing she was going to regret it. Closing her eyes, she let out a slow breath.

"I hope I don't regret this…" Reaching up, she unlocked the door, and he looked back up when he felt it push against his back. He moved away quickly, bounding off to a safe distance.

Nevaeh peeked out to check for nearby infected, but when she saw there were none in plain view she looked back towards the Hunter, who had taken crouched refuge behind the thick trunk of a large oak tree. With her mind still screaming at her to turn back, she motioned for him to come closer.

"Come here. I won't shoot you."

He seemed interested but made no move to venture from the safety of the tree.

"Come."

For a long moment he didn't move, but at long last he slowly emerged from his hiding spot, approaching her like a wary tiger. She stepped aside to allow him passage once he was close enough, watching as he cautiously crept into the doorway, peeking around like a stray cat being invited into a home. She waited patiently until he finally slunk the rest of the way inside, and she quietly closed the door behind him. He jumped slightly, head snapping behind him to the door, but she remained calm as she walked passed him to sit back down in her corner. Looking over, she saw he was staring at her, head tilted much like a curious dog.

"Why are you protecting me?" she asked.

As expected, she was answered with nothing more than a blank stare. She sighed. This was going to be difficult if he couldn't speak, and she was tired as all hell. This could wait until morning. Turning over, she laid down on her side, back facing him. Although her eyes were closed, she remained alert. A few minutes later, she heard a small shuffle from across the room, and her eye cracked open as he drew near.

Carefully, he approached her side, waiting to see if she showed any signs of lashing out at him for being so close. When she did nothing, he quietly rested down beside her, curling up against the chilly air that drifted into the room through the barred window.

Nevaeh looked over her shoulder when she felt a sudden weight on her side, only to see the Hunter had rested his head down near her hip like a dog, his back facing her. It was slightly unsettling to her, even after all that had happened. Zombies weren't known to be even relatively stable. She really had no way of knowing whether or not this one would turn on her without warning and tear into her like Thanksgiving dinner. Rabies was known for inducing hallucinations and violent behavior. He was a Hunter, and she was prey. That's how it was supposed to be.

Yet, here he was, curled up beside her like a cat, seeming perfectly content. It was like he was just happy he didn't have to be out there with the other infected. Even after she had shot at him, he hadn't made any move to attack her. Hesitantly, she allowed herself to fall asleep. She needed the rest. If he tried anything, she had her desert eagle tucked against her breasts, cocked and at the ready.

The next morning, Nevaeh had awoken to find the Hunter perched on the long table by the door. He was staring out the barred window, but he looked up towards her when she sat up. Bringing her arms up over her head, she stretched the sore muscles with a yawn.

"Good morning."

He made a small sound she took as his version of a "good morning", and she stood. She proceeded to start her morning stretches, arching her body back in a backbend until she felt a satisfying pop. Once that was done, she walked over to her bag and pulled out a granola bar. Turning towards the Hunter, she held one up to him.

"Want one?"

He shook his head. She shrugged. Standing, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked up to the door, chewing thoughtfully on the granola bar as she scoped out her surroundings.

"You see anything out there?" she asked.

A small growl was her answer, and she spotted them. A few infected were milling around behind the shrubbery. Sighing, she went to open the door, but a clawed hand on her arm stopped her. She looked towards the Hunter at her side with a small, questioning frown.

"What?"

He ushered her away, and she slowly took a step back as he opened the door and slipped outside. He shut it behind him, motioning for her to stay put. She did, watching with no small amount of curiosity from the bars. He was still for a moment, and then he was springing into action. She watched with a mixture of disbelief and intimidation as he pounced and snapped the necks of two infected before brutally smashing another's skull into a tree. There was a sickening crack and spurt of blood as its cranium shattered with the impact. Within a minute, all six infected were dead.

Nevaeh wasn't sure whether to be wary or relieved about her new partner, as he turned to face her and held up two thumbs as if to signal it was clear. Slowly, she stepped out, looking down at the fallen infected with aware eyes. When she looked back up at him, her eyes were slightly widened. He stared back. Now that it was daytime, she was able to see past the shadow of his hood a little better, and she realized, with more than surprise, that he still had his eyes. This interested her. None of the other Hunters had their eyes, having clawed them out, but not this one. His eyes were still intact, and they held the same ghostly glow that the other infected had. The only conclusion that she could come to was that they clawed their eyes out, because the infection made them incredibly sensitive to light, and it hurt their eyes so much that they'd been driven to gauge them out. Perhaps this Hunter had been blind before being turned. It would explain his lack of sensitivity to light. But then why the hood?

She shook her head, dismissing it from her mind for the moment. There were much bigger problems at hand. Turning her attention out at the forest, she started walking. He followed silently, and she glanced back at him. He stopped in his tracks, and she knew he was probably thinking she would chase him off again.

"You know, you're not exactly someone I'd normally allow to hang around."

A small frown tugged at his mouth.

"But what the hell." She nodded as a signal for him to follow. The stupid smile that appeared on his face almost immediately after nearly caused her to shake her head in amusement, as he bounded up to her side and straightened to his full height. He was like a fucking dog. If he had ears like a dog, she was sure they would be flickering around as they walked. She could tell he was listening intently to their surroundings. If there was a threat nearby, he would know long before she did. Despite how incredibly wrong it was, she felt a sense of security wash over her. She still hadn't completely absorbed the past twenty-four hours, or that she was now teamed up with a Hunter. Eh, why not, right? So what if the Joker was suddenly protecting Batman?

Up until a about five months ago, zombies were just monsters in horror movies. She felt like a rabbit teaming up with a wolf. Yikes. She looked to the Hunter again, considering him closely for a moment.

"What did you say your name was again?"

He looked at her, and he was silent for a moment. She remained patient, knowing speaking was a difficult task for him.

"Ja-…ax…"

It was rough, but she got it. "Jax. Right."

He seemed to be struggling with something. "A…"

She blinked. "What?" Then it clicked. "…A... jax?"

The way his face instantly brightened told her she was correct.

"Ajax? Your name is Ajax?"

He nodded. She couldn't help but smile faintly at his excitement.

"I'm Nevaeh, in case you forgot, but you can call me Vaeh if that's easier for you."

He nodded again, still smiling, and looked back forward. Okay, so she didn't fully trust him yet, but he was entertaining. It was like having an intelligent dog around, and despite the possible danger it presented she found herself grateful for the change of pace and company.

Then, all of a sudden, he stopped short. She halted with him, snapping to full alert.

"What is it?"

He grabbed her by her jacket and quickly ducked behind a cluster of bushes, ushering for her to do the same. She did, and he pressed down on her shoulder. She got the general idea. Once convinced she would stay put, he crept out from behind the bushes, sniffing at the air. Nevaeh waited as he disappeared behind the rock formations in the area. Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes felt like hours, when finally the Hunter reemerged. He motioned for her to come out of hiding, and after giving her surroundings a quick check she stood cautiously. He was looking down at something, and when she ran over to join him she realized what had him so unsettled. Below them, at the bottom of the hill they were standing on, the rotting, charred corpse of a Tank lay there. She stared at it long and hard for a few moments.

"There must have been other people here." Lifting her head, she looked out at the forest. "Town isn't too far from here. That's where they must be headed."

Ajax looked up at her, frowning slightly. It was clear she wanted to pursue them, but he hardly did. The last time he had ran into survivors, they had chained him up and tortured him. A small whine left his throat at the thought before he could stop it.

Nevaeh looked down at him, and at seeing the troubled expression on the Hunter's face she remembered what he had gone through. "It's okay."

He looked up at her.

"You cover my back, and I'll cover yours. Deal?"

He stared at her for a lengthy minute, contemplating her words carefully. _You cover my back, and I'll cover yours. _So she was promising to protect him? Did this make them a team?

"We're going to have to work out a method of communication, though," Nevaeh continued. "We'll work on that on the way."

A nod was all he could manage. She was allowing him to stay with her, and now she was promising to watch out for him? That's what teams did, right? What friends did…? No. _Don't get ahead of yourself. _She wasn't his friend. He would have liked to be her friend, but he knew that even though she was allowing him to stay, she didn't trust him. At least not enough to call him a friend. He was a monster. There was almost no doubt in his mind she would have given him a single sniff if she'd had other people at her side to watch out for her. Nevertheless, he felt no anger. He felt no disdain. He felt a mixture of gratitude, still, but loneliness. Unwanted. It wasn't like he could blame her. He'd probably shun away something like him, too.


End file.
